U.S. and Russia Kick Off New Innovation Working Group on March 27 in Silicon Valley

Notice to the Press

Office of the Spokesperson

Washington, DC

March 26, 2012

The Innovation Working Group of the U.S.-Russia Bilateral Presidential Commission will hold its first meeting at the headquarters of Cisco, in San Jose, California, on March 27. Co-chaired by U.S. Undersecretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy and the Environment Robert Hormats and Russian Presidential Advisor Arkady Dvorkovich, the group will address cooperation on innovation centers, the legal framework for innovation, and commercialization of innovative technologies.

Undersecretary Hormats will participate using Cisco’s TelePresence technology, while the State Department’s Special Representative for Commercial and Business Affairs Lorraine Hariton and Russia’s Deputy Minister of Economic Development Oleg Fomichev will lead their respective delegations. Working group members will include innovation experts from the Russian and U.S. private and non-governmental sectors, universities, and governments.

President Obama and President Medvedev created the U.S.-Russia Bilateral Presidential Commission (BPC) in July 2009 to improve coordination between our countries, identify areas of cooperation, and pursue joint projects and actions that strengthen strategic stability, international security, economic well-being, and the development of ties between the Russian and American peoples. The BPC now consists of 20 working groups and numerous sub-working groups. Please visit the BPC website: www.state.gov/russiabpc.

We invite media to photograph the opening session, including the TelePresence participation of Under Secretary Hormats, at 8:30 a.m. on March 27 at Cisco headquarters, Building #9, 260 East Tasman Drive, San Jose, CA 95134. Press should arrive at 8 a.m. For access information, contact Marc Musgrove, Cisco, (408) 525-6320, mmusgrov@cisco.com.

For information about the Innovation Working Group, contact Laura Hochla, (202) 647-6770, HochlaLL@state.gov.

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